Johannesburg & Kruger National Park: Includes Panorama Region, Sun City and Pilansberg Game Reserve

by Lizzie Williams

Overview

Explore the up-and-coming Newtown and you will be amazed at how a once run-down area of Johannesburg has transformed itself into a trendy part of the city, with restaurants, shops and the cutting-edge Apartheid Museum. After a day’s sightseeing, head to Nelson Mandela Square and have dinner outside, beneath a smiling statue of the man himself. When you tire of the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg go to South Africa’s top game park, Kruger National Park, to spot the famous Big Five – elephants and rhinos included. Footprintfocus Johannesburg&Kruger National Park provides detailed information on all these sights and more, plus must-know information on travelling around South Africa.

*Essentials section with tips on getting there and around.

*Detailed information on sights and attractions with fascinating insights into the region.

*Comprehensive listings of where to eat and sleep.

*Detailed street maps for important towns and cities.

Loaded with advice and information, this concise Footprintfocus guide will help you get the most out of Johannesburg&Kruger National Park without weighing you down.

The content of the Footprintfocus Johannesburg&Kruger National Park guide has been extracted from Footprint’s South Africa Handbook.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781908207111
Publisher:	Bradt Travel Guides Ltd
Publication date:	09/06/2012
Series:	Footprint Focus
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	149
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Originally from London, Lizzie has worked and lived in Africa for 14 years. Starting out on trips across the continent as a tour leader on overland trucks, she has sat with a gorilla, slept amongst elephants, fed a giraffe and swum with a hippo and is now something of an expert on border crossings and African beer. For Footprint she is author of South Africa, Namibia, Kenya and Tanzania; has written the only country guide to Nigeria and the first city guide to Johannesburg for Bradt; is author of the AA Spiral Guide to South Africa and Africa Overland, a glossy look at the overland route from Nairobi to Cape Town, is co-author of the DK Eyewitness to Kenya, and has contributed to Turkey and Egypt for Rough Guides. She has written various online African destination guides for leading websites in the UK and US including Frommers, British Airways and World Travel Guide.net. When not on the road, Lizzie lives in Cape Town.

Read an Excerpt

Since its sudden birth in 1886 when a hapless Aussie discovered

gold on the Highveld, Johannesburg has dominated the country,

morphing from a rough frontier town into a financial metropolis

and the largest city in Africa south of Cairo. Although in the past,

Joburg has suffered from much-publicized high crime rates, it is

now successfully dusting off its dodgy reputation and drawing back

visitors in droves. Crime-busting regeneration programmes have seen

formerly run-down areas transformed into places to visit, live in and

enjoy, while recent additions to tourism attractions include some of

South Africa’s finest cutting-edge museums, such as the celebrated

Apartheid Museum or the Cradle of Humankind. There are numerous

other historical and cultural attractions, as well as mega-shopping

malls, excellent restaurants and sophisticated nightlife.

Just 50 km to the north, South Africa’s recently renamed capital,

Tshwane (Pretoria) couldn’t be more different. Unlike Joberg,

Tshwane is staid and conservative, with wide streets lined with

jacaranda trees which bloom a regal purple in spring.

To the east, Mpumalanga state is home to the magnificent

Kruger National Park, one of the best places in Africa for game

viewing. While it’s entirely possible to see the Big Five in one

afternoon, a longer stay allows visitors to fully appreciate the

wilderness of the park. West of the park, the Panorama Region

is well worth a detour. This mountainous area is dotted with quiet

agricultural towns, clustered along the top of the spectacular

Blyde River Canyon, and a handful of viewpoints open up

stunning vistas to the Lowveld shimmering to the horizon.

North West Province is known first and foremost as the home of

Sun City, a huge entertainment complex and one-time gambling

haven which was once the most visited site in South Africa.

Gambling aside, a good reason for visiting is the Pilanesberg

Game Reserve, which offers the chance of seeing the Big Five at

a malaria-free altitude and just a few hours from Johannesburg

or Tshwane (Pretoria).